Patents Examined by Mikhail Kornakov
  • Patent number: 11295965
    Abstract: A cleaning apparatus of a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment includes a nozzle and a scanner. The nozzle ejects a gas toward in an inner wall surface of a processing chamber in which a substrate is processed. The scanner causes the nozzle to scan along the inner wall surface of the processing chamber in the processing chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Kohei Yamada, Hiroaki Inadomi, Satoshi Biwa
  • Patent number: 11289347
    Abstract: A cleaning module for cleaning a wafer comprises a wafer gripping device configured to support a wafer in a vertical orientation and comprises a catch cup and a gripper assembly. The catch cup comprises a wall that has an annular inner surface that defines a processing region and has an angled portion that is symmetric about a central axis of the wafer gripping device. The gripper assembly comprises a first plate assembly, a second plate assembly, a plurality of gripping pin, and a plurality of loading pin. The gripping pins are configured to grip a wafer during a cleaning process and the loading pins are configured to grip the wafer during a loading and unloading process. The cleaning module further comprises a sweep arm coupled to a nozzle mechanism configured to deliver liquids to the front and back side of the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Jagan Rangarajan, Adrian Blank, Edward Golubovsky, Balasubramaniam Coimbatore Jaganathan, Steven M. Zuniga, Ekaterina Mikhaylichenko, Michael A. Anderson, Jonathan P. Domin
  • Patent number: 11289323
    Abstract: Processes and apparatuses for the treatment of semiconductor workpieces are provided. In some embodiments, a method can include placing the workpiece into a process chamber; vaporizing a solvent to create a vaporized solvent; introducing the vaporized solvent into the process chamber; and exposing the workpiece to the vaporized solvent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignees: Beijing E-Town Semiconductor Co, , Ltd., Mattson Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shuang Meng, Shawming Ma, Michael X. Yang
  • Patent number: 11286808
    Abstract: System for selectively contacting a cleaning composition with a surface of a turbine engine component is presented. The system includes a cleaning apparatus and a manifold assembly. The cleaning apparatus includes an upper portion and a lower portion defining a cleaning chamber configured to allow selective contact between the cleaning composition and a surface of the first portion of the turbine engine component. The upper portion includes a plurality of fill holes in fluid communication with the cleaning chamber, and the lower portion includes a plurality of drain holes in fluid communication with the cleaning chamber. The manifold assembly is configured to selectively circulate the cleaning composition from a reservoir to the cleaning chamber via the plurality of fill holes, and recirculate the cleaning composition from the cleaning chamber to the reservoir via the plurality of drain holes. Methods for selectively cleaning a turbine engine component is also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nicole Jessica Tibbetts, Andrew James Jenkins, Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Evan Jarrett Dolley, John Watt, Christopher Perrett, Vincent Gerard Lauria
  • Patent number: 11278939
    Abstract: A method of remediating a media asset comprising a magnetic tape includes preliminarily cleaning the media asset, treating the media asset, and finally cleaning the media asset. Treating the media asset includes baking the media asset, determining whether adjacent layers of the tape are stuck to each other, and re-baking the media asset. If adjacent layers of the tape are stuck to each other, the method includes submerging the magnetic tape in a cleaning bath for a predetermined period of time, unwinding the magnetic tape from a supply reel to a take-up reel at an unwind speed while drying the magnetic tape, and rewinding the magnetic tape onto the supply reel at a rewind speed before re-baking the media asset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Inventor: Kelly Pribble
  • Patent number: 11282728
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a contamination controlled semiconductor processing system. The contamination controlled semiconductor processing system includes a processing chamber, a contamination detection system, and a contamination removal system. The processing chamber is configured to process a wafer. The contamination detection system is configured to determine whether a contamination level on a surface of the door is greater than a baseline level. The contamination removal system is configured to remove contaminants from the surface of the door in response to the contamination level being greater than the baseline level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Inventors: Bo Chen Chen, Sheng-Wei Wu, Yung-Li Tsai
  • Patent number: 11273471
    Abstract: An in-line shell egg pasteurizer has a clean-in-place system. Empty shell egg carriers are placed in the water bath for multiple cleaning cycles. The cleaning solution level is lowered to expose the shell egg carriers and the top parts of the water bath walls. An air perturbation is used to agitate cleaning solution held in the bottom of the water bath and clean heating coils and other components located in the bottom of the water bath. Sprayers (e.g., nozzles, cleaning spray balls, etc. . . . ) mounted on a hood over the water bath clean the top parts of the water bath walls and the empty shell egg carriers placed in the water bath.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Michael Foods, Inc.
    Inventor: Hector Gregorio Lara
  • Patent number: 11266289
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of automatic dishwashing of dishware using wash water, in which, in a first step, a first composition, which comprises an oxygen bleach but substantially no enzyme, is supplied to the wash water, and the dishware is washed in a washing zone with the oxygen bleach-containing wash water; and, in a second step which occurs after the first step, a second composition, which comprises an enzyme but substantially no bleach, is supplied to the wash water, and the dishware is washed in said washing zone with the enzyme-containing wash water. The invention also relates to an automatic dishwasher and a cartridge suitable for use in this method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: RECKITT BENCKISER (BRANDS) LIMITED
    Inventors: Caroline Rigobert, Boris Seitz, Karl-Heinz Mohrhard, Frank Dierkes, Karlheinz Ulrich G. Hahn, Jorg Pflug, Judith Preuschen, Pavlinka Roy, Marco Haag, Dietmar Van Loyen, Stuart Campbell, Helmut Lunz
  • Patent number: 11268227
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a washing machine including a door including an external cover and an internal glass to open and close a laundry entrance, at least one image sensor disposed to face the internal glass to acquire image data, a detergent bubble recognizer configured to recognize detergent bubble from the image data through a machine learning based image recognition model, and a controller configured to perform control to perform an additional rinsing cycle based on a result of recognition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jinok Kim, Yunsik Park, Sungmok Hwang
  • Patent number: 11259505
    Abstract: An apparatus for washing shell eggs includes a washing unit and an egg conveyor extending in a longitudinal direction, and having a transverse direction. The longitudinal and transverse directions define a conveyor plane. Spray nozzles are arranged in the washing unit above the conveyor plane so that in a first step the eggs can be subjected to a liquid jet from a first liquid spray nozzle spraying in a first spray direction, and in a second step the eggs can be subjected to a liquid jet from a second liquid spray nozzle spraying in a second spray direction. The first and second spray nozzles are arranged on opposite sides of the egg when seen in the transverse direction and at a distance above the conveyor plane so that the liquid sprayed in the first and second spray directions hits the egg from opposite sides in a downwards angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Sanovo Technology A/S
    Inventors: Jan Holst Holm, Aksel Morten Madsen
  • Patent number: 11264232
    Abstract: Methods for cleaning integrated circuit (IC) wafers after undergoing planarization processes (for example, chemical mechanical polishing processes) and associated cleaning units and/or planarization units are disclosed herein. An exemplary method includes configuring outlet areas of spray nozzles to deliver a cleaning solution to optimal locations of the IC wafer and delivering the cleaning solution via the spray nozzles having the configured outlet areas to the IC wafer. Each of the outlet areas is configured to achieve a particular velocity of the cleaning solution exiting the outlet area, such that the cleaning solution reaches a particular location of the IC wafer depending on the particular velocity. In some implementations, the cleaning solution enters inlet areas of the spray nozzles at the same flow rate and the cleaning solution exits the outlet areas of the spray nozzles at different velocities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD
    Inventors: Chien-Ping Lee, Hui-Chi Huang
  • Patent number: 11261743
    Abstract: A device for masking the inner periphery of a disc of a turbine engine generally includes a lower element, an upper element, and an elastic annular seal. The lower element, the upper element, and the elastic annular seal are coaxial, the elastic annular seal arranged longitudinally between the lower element and the upper element. The seal generally includes a lower annular part bearing radially and internally against the lower element, and an upper annular part bearing radially and internally against the upper element. The lower part and the upper part are connected to one another by an annular central part forming a return element. The elastic annular seal is configured to bear longitudinally, radially, and externally against each longitudinal end of said inner periphery of the disc to mask said inner periphery, and a clamping system capable of clamping the seal between the lower element and the upper element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Nicolas Léon Jean-Baptiste Besnard, Romain Jean-François Guerit, Laurent Miguel Sanchez
  • Patent number: 11253884
    Abstract: A device for cleaning and drying a spraying unit, the device containing: a top end and a bottom end; the top and bottom end connected to each other by a housing; the housing having an opening proximate the top end, for receiving at least a portion of a spraying unit; a first liner within the housing; a second liner within the first liner; the first liner fitting within the housing forming a space between an outside wall of the first liner and an inside wall of the housing; the second liner fitting within the first liner forming a space between an outside wall of the second liner and an inside wall of the first liner; the opening further containing an open cap, proximate the top end; the device having at least one vacuum air supply influent port, at least one drying air supply influent port and at least one solvent supply influent port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Circle Dynamics, Inc.
    Inventor: James Laurence Doyle
  • Patent number: 11258401
    Abstract: A photovoltaic (PV) module cleaning system can include a robotic cleaning device and a support system. The support system can be configured to provide a metered fill to the robotic cleaning device. In some embodiments, the robotic cleaning device and include a curved cleaning head. Various techniques for deploying a robotic cleaning device on PV modules include out-and-back, leapfrog, among others.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: NOVASOURCE POWER OPCO, INC.
    Inventors: Marc Grossman, Devin Cameron Castellucci, Cedric Jeanty, Juan Sanchez-Garcia, Erik Cummins
  • Patent number: 11246470
    Abstract: A footwear sole cleaning and sanitizing system including a housing having a top surface, first side positioned adjacent to a user entry portal, a second side positioned adjacent to a user exit portal, and railing mounted on the top surface. The system includes a debris remover arranged to remove debris from the footwear sole and a sanitizer arranged to remove contaminants from the footwear sole. The system further includes sensors arranged to generate sensor data based on a detected position of the footwear sole, a user interface arranged to provide cues to the user during operations of the device, and a controller arranged to: i) receive the sensor data from the sensors; i) control operations of the debris remover and sanitizer in response to the received sensor data, and iii) send cue instructions associated with the one or more cues to the user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Nittany Solutions Group, LLC
    Inventor: Robert F. McKeon
  • Patent number: 11247249
    Abstract: A method for removing oxide materials from a crack of a metallic workpiece comprises: infiltrating an alkali solution into the crack in a pressurized atmosphere or an ultrasonic environment; applying an energy to the crack to react the oxide materials with the alkali solution and form a resultant material; and rinsing the resultant material with an acid solution to remove the resultant material from the crack. The method is easier to penetrate into the inside of the cracks, in particular suitable for cleaning narrow and deep cracks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yibo Gao, Hong Zhou, Liming Zhang, Yong Liu, Yingna Wu, Jianping Wu
  • Patent number: 11241723
    Abstract: A clean-in-place process may begin with a pre-rinse step in which soil (e.g., contaminants, residual product) is flushed from industrial equipment prior to circulating a cleaning agent through the equipment. To determine when the equipment has been suitably flushed, pre-rinse fluid exiting the industrial equipment and containing soil may be fluorometrically analyzed. A concentration of the soil is determined from fluorescent emissions emitted by the soil itself. Based on this information, the pre-rinse flushing process can be controlled, for example, to minimize water usage, maximize pre-rinse cleaning, or based on any other suitable metric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Ecolab USA Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Erickson, Peter J. Fernholz
  • Patent number: 11234574
    Abstract: An intelligent floor cleaner, including a vehicle body, a clean water tank, a control box, a dirty water tank, a floor cleaning apparatus, a manual steering apparatus, an autonomous steering apparatus, a navigation apparatus, and a mileage apparatus, where the clean water tank is located above the vehicle body and is fixedly connected to the vehicle body; the control box is located in a middle location above the vehicle body and is fixedly connected to the vehicle body; the dirty water tank is located at a rear side above the clean water tank and is fixedly connected to the clean water tank; the floor cleaning apparatus is located below the vehicle body; and the navigation apparatus includes a 3D laser and a laser mounting rack, and the navigation apparatus is located above the vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Zhejiang Guozi Robot Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Weifeng Wu, Huafeng Yang, Lvjun Jin, Jiang Hong
  • Patent number: 11236420
    Abstract: The step of removing the reaction product includes a step of loading a dummy wafer on the loading table, a step of increasing the temperature of the loading table, and a step of removing the reaction product after increasing the temperature of the loading table. In the step of increasing the temperature of the loading table, the temperature of the loading table is increased by opening an expansion valve between an output terminal of a condenser and an input terminal of the heat exchange unit, inputting heat to the loading table, opening a flow dividing valve between an output terminal of a compressor and the input terminal of the heat exchange unit, and adjusting an opening degree of the flow dividing valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Mitsumori, Shin Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11232958
    Abstract: An apparatus for supporting and maneuvering a wafer comprises a handle having a gas inlet adapted to couple to a gas supply, a supporting surface coupled to the handle section including a frame structure having edge segments connecting at vertices and spoke elements extending from a center of the frame structure to the vertices, a gas supply channel coupled to the gas inlet that extends from the handle and branches into channels that run through the spoke elements, and a plurality of nozzles positioned at the vertices on the supporting surface and coupled to the channels in the spoke elements. Gas provided to the plurality of nozzles exits the nozzles in a stream directed parallel to the supporting surface and the stream of gas generates forces that enable wafers to be securely supported in a floating manner over the supporting surface without coming into direct contact with the supporting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: VEECO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventors: Kenji Michael Nulman, Mark Yannuzzi, Phillip Tyler, Jonathan Fijal, William Gilbert Breingan, John Taddei, Nicholas Baverov, James Swallow, Christopher Orlando, Paul Vit, Christopher Hofmeister, Tremayne Diggs